When the Skylight Music Theatre stages "Porgy & Bess" in May, it will be a homecoming for Broadway and London theater veteran Nathaniel Stampley, a Milwaukee native who will return here for the production.

Stampley, who will sing the role of tough guy Crown in the Skylight's production, performed in the Broadway production of "Porgy" starring Audra McDonald, which closed in September after more than 300 performances. McDonald won a Tony Award for her performance. Stampley understudied the roles of Porgy and Crown in the Broadway production, and went on a number of times as Porgy. | Dec. 18, 2012»Read Full Article(1)

Thirteen more acts — including Bret Michaels, Cowboy Mouth, Blackberry Smoke and Yellowcard — have been added to the music lineup for Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary celebration, taking place at the Summerfest grounds August 29 to 31.

The Harley-Davidson Museum, pictured above, will host NPR's music show World Cafe May 14; host David Dye is flying in from Philadelphia to conduct an interview and record a performance with the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Photo by Rick Wood.| April 18, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

French, fresh at UWM

The 35th annual Latin American Film Series concludes with "Stones in the Sun," a film about three pairs of Haitian refugees living in 1980s New York City, showing at 7 p.m. Friday at UWM Union Theatre, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. | April 18, 2013»Read Full Article

The thuddingly titled "Oblivion" stitches together genre clichés into a surprisingly satisfying tale with enough twists to give you a surprise or two.

There's not much original here on the face of it. A dash of "Wall*E," some "I Am Legend," a climax straight out of "Independence Day," and all of it based on a graphic novel by director Joseph Kosinski, who previously directed "Tron: Legacy." The result is good enough to feed the hunger for big-screen fantasy until the summer movie season begins. | April 18, 2013»Read Full Article

"To the Wonder" director Terrence Malick is the pre-eminent auteur of the intangible. Some filmmakers put feelings into words; Malick uses smoke signals and semaphore to express things felt but unspoken. How you interpret them is up to you.

I found the process illuminating in the allegorical "The Tree of Life," which was about nothing less than birth, life and death. I was a fan of "The New World," his dreamlike retelling of the Pocahontas story, and his meditative remake of "The Thin Red Line." | April 18, 2013»Read Full Article

Cory is a big-league star with big-league issues. When his problems with drinking and rage combine in a YouTube-viral moment that gets him suspended from baseball, Cory is sent to his small Oklahoma hometown to go through a league-mandated, 12-step program. But can he go home again - and find the faith he needs to defeat the demons that torment him?

Sorry if that all sounds like off-the-shelf melodrama, but that's what much of "Home Run" is. The movie, inspired by a faith-based program called Celebrate Recovery, is boilerplate rise-fall-redemption stuff that works more when it's trying to do less. | April 18, 2013»Read Full Article

Milwaukee’s food trucks have slowly been rolling out — on the rare day this spring when the weather has cooperated — and a new truck called Simmer is due to join their ranks May 6.

Steve Perlstein, a chef for 12 years, most recently at Buca di Beppo, and his wife, Jennifer Block, are launching Simmer.The food truck will have made-from-scratch soups, stews, dressings and sauces for its salads and panini, and will have vegetarian and gluten-free menu items. | April 18, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

You're going to have to make some decisions this weekend, or you're going to be pretty tired. There are lots of great events happening. Watch the video to find out what we recommend. | April 18, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

Starting April 21, Joey Gerard's in Mequon on Sundays will serve breakfast (or call it brunch, since there will be sandwiches, salads and Bloody Marys).

The Bartolotta supper club, at 11120 N. Cedarburg Road, is following in the footsteps of its twin in Greendale; the Joey Gerard's there has served weekend breakfast since November. | April 18, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

Rappers Dana Coppafeel and SPEAK Easy have some major attention going into the release of their debut collaborative EP, "Uni-Fi Records Presents . . . Dana Coppafeel & SPEAK Easy." The music video for "One of These Kids" was picked up by MTV.com and MTVHive.com, and Rolling Stone offered "This Is Us," featuring fellow local rapper Klassik, as a free download.

"One of These Kids" features a playful beat from Da Ricanstrukta, and the dazzling music video, from director Xavier Ruffin, features several Coppafeel clones goofing off on a playground and cartoon birds flying out of guest rapper Prophetic's brain. "Us," meanwhile, is somber and cinematic with smooth flow - a good indication that the pair have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. | April 18, 2013»Read Full Article

From an artist who makes paintings based on word-of-mouth tales of distant places to an artist who is stirring controversy and dialogue around the world, from a meatpacker’s 125-year-old art collection to a gallery’s celebration of a quarter-century, this Gallery Night & Day offers plenty of opportunities for expanding our perspectives on art.

Practice, practice, practice, of course. And take advice from a vocal-talent expert, Seth Rudetsky, who brings his one-man "Seth Rudetsky's Big Fat Broadway Show "to the Marcus Center Thursday night. Rudetsky will teach the audience why one singer's voice works and another singer's voice doesn't.